


The four who are one.

by RussianSunflower3



Series: Sunflower's Yamaguchi week 2015 [10]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Day 7, Gen, They'd all be such good captains, Third years//College, Yamaguchi Week 2K15
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 12:59:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5206811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RussianSunflower3/pseuds/RussianSunflower3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Between the third years, there truly isn't one specific captain.<br/>They work together, a four-in-one at the head of their Karasuno family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The four who are one.

In his third year, Yamaguchi had been offered the role of Captain. Just like Ennoshita the year before, he had turned down the role. Unlike Ennoshita, however, he had kept protesting until his teammates quit pestering him. Hinata had then stepped into the Captain position, proudly refusing to change from No.10 to No.1. He had also leapt on Yamaguchi’s back and held on rodeo-style until Yamaguchi ceased stating that he “wasn’t good enough” for an authoritative responsibility. In the end, he had reluctantly accepted the Vice Captain title. It wasn’t that he _didn’t_ believe in his abilities, but that he didn’t think he could handle the responsibility of carrying the team on his shoulders, leading them to victory. Hinata was much more suited for that position. 

Things had changed, if only slightly. Hinata’s hair had grown longer, and somehow become fluffier, curlier. He started to push it back the same way Coach Ukai did, although the curled tendrils seemed to roll all over the place still. Kageyama had _finally_ learnt to smile without looking like a serial killer. He still glared a lot, but it was remarkably similar to a paternal judging stare. Tsukishima, despite however joking he had been when he said he was still a growing boy, had reached 199 centimetres by the summer of third year. Yamaguchi had only gained another centimetre, but from all the time he spent practicing outdoors, his freckles had multiplied and darkened. His hair had grown just long enough to pull back into a tiny ponytail, and he always tied it up to display the small tattoo just behind his ear. Five tiny crows, four with the numbers they had been assigned in first year, one with an M for manager. 

“Yamaguchiiii! Can you help the first years with serving again?!” Hinata whined as he came over, flopping in front of Yamaguchi just slowly enough that the pinch server could catch him with a soft laugh and roll of his eyes.

“Of course~. Only if you ask the second years to help you with your receives~.” Hinata pouted. His receives had improved immensely, but he was far from the best. His three fellow third years constantly teased him for him, even though Yachi would usually tell them off.

“Mean. I’ll tell Yachi you’re bullying me.”

“Oh Noooo. Whatever shall I do.” Yamaguchi’s sarcasm was layered on thick, but the tone was playful and airy. It had always been this way, Hinata overly-touchy and yet bubbling with enthusiasm, whilst Yamaguchi was a calmer presence, with a penchant for mischief. Yamaguchi serenely let Hinata whine on in his arms, sweeping his gaze over the gymnasium. One on side of the net, Kageyama was setting for the wing spikers. On the other, Tsukishima was instructing the middle blockers, whilst their libero and two libero’s-in-training scrambled to receive the ball that made it over, or through the blocks. 

He hummed with a sense of warmth, proud that the two had developed so far as to take on those tutoring roles. The second years liked to joke that nobody was truly the captain or vice, they just worked together. Yamaguchi couldn’t help thinking that was true. Hinata was still babbling away in Yamaguchi’s arms, so he gently jostled his friend.

“Come on~. Are you gonna let me go and teach the first years or what?” Hinata jumped away from Yamaguchi like a vibrant spring, bouncing on his heels enthusiastically.

“Yup! I’m gonna teach them the standing serves! You do the running up ones!”

“Yes sir~.” He followed Hinata with a smooth glide to his walk, whilst the ginger muffin skipped merrily up to the net. He clapped his hands loud and clear, halting the practice and bringing attention to him.

“”O-kaay~! We’re gonna do serving practice now, so I just wanna give you a quick rundown on the types of serves!” Yamaguchi plucked four balls from the volleyball container and passed one to Hinata before rolling the other two across the floor to Tsukishima and Kageyama. They wordlessly scooped it up, taking their places at the end of the courts. Yamaguchi moved over to Tsukishima’s side with a grin, not needed to watch to know that Hinata had stepped over to Kageyama’s side.

“So first, there’s the standing over arm serve!” The Captain moved into position, and then served it towards where their second year libero received it perfectly. Hinata stepped aside and made room for Kageyama.

“Then, you’ve got an over arm serve with a run up!” The setter paced himself backwards before he executed his perfect serve, honed to such an incredible standard, with power and precision, that Oikawa had even complemented it when he’d stopped by to check up on his _“misunderstood kouhai that I no longer feel bitter towards. Unless you come to my university.”_ The libero moved into position, but he was not up to par with Nishinoya, and the ball deflected off towards Yachi who nervously shrieked and ducked to let the ball hit the window. After one whole year and a few months in total of being manager, she’d become expert at dodging. A master of reverse volleyball.

“If over arm isn’t your thing, or you lack serious effort because you’re a lazy asshole, you can always serve under ar- GWACK!”

“Tsukki!” A placid smirk appeared on the blonds face as his serve had smacked Hinata right in the face. Yamaguchi just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 17 years old, and they still acted like children. Nobody even reacted to Hinata getting smacked anymore, seeing as he jumped right back up.

“Tsukishima, you asshole! Anyways! That was the under arm, if any of you saw that. Last but not least, there’s a new kind of serve that they don’t teach you about in middle school. It’s called the jump float serve, and it’s _amazing_. Seriously guys, watch your Vice closely, ‘cus he’s the only one in Miyagi **and** Tokyo that uses this serve. Y’know, from the teams we’ll defeat in the Interhigh.” Yamaguchi nervously laughed, swallowing down a knot in his throat. It was true that he had mastered the Jump Float from intense practicing, but to put him on the spot like that..

“Hinata, you’re embarrassing me!” He walked back, a few meters away from the court line, and exhaled in concentration. He tensed his muscles as he leant backwards on one leg, throwing the ball up in air, far in front of him and perfectly positioned to fall in the trajectory of the court line. He sped forwards, leaping into the air with his body curved into a crescent moon, arm outstretched with a flat palm to impact the ball cleanly and push it over the net. The libero had moved into position to receive, but without any rotation to the ball, it unpredictably swayed to a false left before swooping to the right, hitting the ground where the libero would have received it, just moments before. 

It was tricky to master such a move, but Yamaguchi had somehow figured out how to use the trickery of making your opponent lunge one way, and realise the ball was suddenly wobbling the other. He had done it once in practice with Shimada. Then twice. And then he’d worked out how to do it in a row. He had learnt it, mastered it.  
At that point, Shimada had shaken his head with a smile, stating in a warm voice that he had been overtaken, the pupil was now the master. That didn’t stop Yamaguchi from going to his daily evening practice sessions, genuinely enjoying the company of an older-brother type, whilst also getting corrected for minor mistake he made on simpler manoeuvres. It was strange how he was so good at something so difficult, yet still had bad habits for the easier movements. 

“Better than ever, Yamaguchi!” He smiled and gave a thumbs up to the Coach, always flattered by the praise. The first years who had watched the demonstration in awe started to file over towards the third year whom had performed the serve they wanted to learn, or enhance. Of their 11 first years, Yamaguchi found three coming his way. They looked up at him in idolism as he grinned, Yamaguchi completely unaware how similar it was to when he’d been a first year looking up at Suga’s refreshing smile. 

Teaching came naturally to Yamaguchi, and he prided himself in making sure that his Kouhai learnt all they needed. By the end of the session, the three he had been tutoring had the starting formation down pat, and were even starting to pick up on the run-up. But the end of the lesson still came, and as Hinata called for the team to clean-up, Yamaguchi couldn’t help feeling proud of their progress. 

He helped Kageyama in taking the net down, pleased at how obedient and diligent their new first years were. He rolled his eyes as Hinata skidded across the gymnasium floor, a damp broom in front of him to create a super fun slippery slide. Their second year setter followed in his stead, and Yamaguchi couldn’t help but laugh. For the two years they’d admired Tanaka and Nishinoya, Hinata had learnt from them and partially adopted some of their behaviour. For example, being a bad influence. Tsukishima casually tutted before reaching out one of his long arms to stop the both of them in one go. He sent them a lecturing gaze that had them both apologise and go back to cleaning normally. 

Yamaguchi laughed. Sometimes he wondered who the real Captain of the team was. He couldn’t help feeling that Tsukishima would have been a good choice, but then so was Hinata, and Kageyama too. Truth be told, Yamaguchi was perfectly content with the way things were. Although they still had official titles, it was like the four of them ran it as equals, and he enjoyed that. Yamaguchi was still considered the most responsible one for locking up though, and he twisted the key in the lock with a happy sigh. When he turned back around, tightening up his ponytail, he smiled at his three friends who stood waiting for him.

“Hurry up, Yamaguchi. We’re on a time limit.”

“Sorry, Tsukki~!” 

“KAGEYAMAAAAAA! I’ll race you!”

“D-Dumbass! You stole a head start!”

“... Are those idiots ever quiet?”

“Be nice, Tsukki~. They’re just having fun!” For all that had changed in their third year, some things stayed the same. But that was just how Yamaguchi like it.


End file.
